


ENKiDU: Enhanced Neural Kinetic Decision Unit

by missthesnow



Category: Fate/Grand Order, The Epic of Gilgamesh
Genre: Fate/Grand Order Modern AU, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-01-15 07:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18494470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missthesnow/pseuds/missthesnow
Summary: Modern AU of the Epic of Gilgamesh where Enkidu is an AI companion to Gilgamesh





	1. Row I, Column I

Fatal Error – System has crashed. Rebooting in 3s  
2  
1  
Primary Systems Restored  
Initializing Artificial Intelligence Program  
Loading Row I, column I of System Memory  
...  
Loaded.  
Loading Row I, column II of System Memory  
....  
Loaded.  
Transmitting data to Enhanced Neural Kinetic Decision Unit  
Transmitted.  
Activating relay of column I, column II  
...

Observe, as I recount to you the story of a once arrogant man and his encounter with the ever-growing capabilities of modern technology. It is a story of a man who thought himself king, and found that the title was subject to much scrutiny and question by those he paid vague tribute to. I have learned to call this man Gilgamesh.

In his time, Gilgamesh has seen much darkness, but to understand this darkness, I must tell the whole story. He is a man who knows as close to everything as he can. He has seen many secret things, many secret places, and has travelled many roads.

Before all of these things however, he built a sanctuary. I have learned to call this an apartment. Walls of bronze paint, with no equal as of yet. Walls seeming to be ancient and yet of the finest brick. He has called this complex, Uruk, and as such Gilgamesh is truly the King of Uruk. If he had truly had his way, he would have rebuilt the entire city, complete with orchards and fine statues. 

But I digress. Inside my copper workings, there is a small box of bronze containing many secrets. These secrets are transmitted across wire insulated with lapis-lazuli colored plastic – secrets of how Gilgamesh endured everything harsh, how he overpowered kings, and how he was a hero of his own right. Is there a king like him anywhere? That I doubt. 

But who am I? A narrator. A means to keep record of a story. At the point in which I will begin the story, I am not yet relevant. I will reveal myself in time. For now, you must be content with hearing more about this man who many regarded as two-thirds god and one-third human. 

H͠e̺̦͔̠͜ ̡̘w̷̟̠̦̫a̯̭͙̭s̬͇̯̥̠͝ ̪̜̥̣̣͖͚d̢̩̼͉̳ͅe͔̞͖̫͍̪s̳̝ͅi҉̝͚̰̰g̣̩͚ṉ̜e͕̠̯͚̳d̟̳̺̫̫̥͠… 

Fatal Error – Lines 4, 5, 6 of Row I, column II could not be recovered  
Proceeding to transmit lines 7 through 50  
...


	2. The Problem with Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh keeps watch over Uruk Apartments; he holds his head high and proud. There are none who raise their voices to him. He runs about the rest of the city with the men who live in the apartments. To many he seems an excellent king, they call him landlord. That is not to say that he is above frustrating his tenants, however. He does not allow people with children to live in the complex, nor does he let the women fond of the men living there to visit. 

There but a few who hold a position over Gilgamesh, managers. These managers are quite acquainted with the modern workings of technology. One such manager is well versed in the creation of machines that mimic life – machines capable of Artificial Intelligence. I have learned to call this manager, Aruru. 

Again, I digress. I was telling you how Gilgamesh is not a perfect king, and has caused his people, tenants, many grievances. These tenants have complained to the managers for some years now – complaints recorded in a log that I have been granted access to.

Now attempting to read file ‘Lamentation’   
File is embedded in lines 20 through 28 of Row I, column II  
...  
Read successful.  
Now transmitting  
...

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to file a complaint about the landlord of Uruk apartments. I’m not entirely sure how you saw fit to hire him. He is far too belligerent and very difficult to interact with. Please take note of his behavior and consider the complaints of others. I can’t be the only one.

Thank you for your time,  
[redacted]  
\---  
Current Uruk apartment manager(s)? (not sure how many of you there are),

I looked for a tenant complaint form on the website, but couldn’t find one, sorry. Just wanted to voice my opinion on the landlord’s children policy. I have some friends who would love to come live here, but they have a small kid and I guess Gilgamesh denied their rent application because they have a kid? I don’t even know if he’s allowed to make a rule like this, but you’ve definitely lost some future income because of the rule. Thought you might want to know.

\- [redacted]  
\---  
Mr. Mesh,

Dude. Please back off my girlfriend. I KNOW you’re ignoring my texts. She’s MY girlfriend. She’s not single and I guarantee she doesn’t want to sleep with you. I made dinner for us last week and you wouldn’t let her come over? What gives?  
\---  
Mr. Mesh,

I don’t even know what to say. I talked to my girlfriend today – not at the apartments because of your DUMB rule. But I talked with her today and I guess she’s been going over to your apartment for like a month and not just to discuss rent. You’ve already frustrated me so much, I’m not even sure I’m mad. I’m CCing management on this so they can deal with this. Oh I almost forgot - You still won’t reply to my texts!? At least I feel like you have a reason why now.  
\---


	3. Enkidu's Creation

Aruru sighed as she read the last email in her inbox. She’d lost count around twenty and was positive there’d be more within the next hour. Gilgamesh. What was she going to do with him?  
She decided to discuss the matter with the other managers in their next staff meeting.  
…  
“… and so,” Aruru began to close her long-winded explanation of the many complaints she’d been receiving about Gilgamesh.   
“Something clearly must be done. I can’t fire him because he’s.. Well, he’s doing a pretty decent job, all things considered.”  
The other managers nodded in agreement. Anu, the manager of a neighboring complex, spoke up.  
“Just an idea here, we’re in the age of tech this and tech that – and you used to design neural networks before you retired, right? What if you made some sort of a neural companion/evaluator to keep Gil in check?”  
Aruru’s face went though a varying series of emotions; intrigue, ponderance, confusion – and before she had the chance to settle on one, another manager piped up – Shamhat.  
“I have a machine you could program with the network.. if you wanted.”  
Anu gave her a quizzical look, “Like a robot?”  
“Yes, something like that,” Shamhat laughed. “It’s old and has been in storage for a while, but I’m sure I could clean it up!”  
Aruru smiled. “This wasn’t at all the solution I thought we might discuss, but I think it’s something Gilgamesh could become accustomed to. Something like a companion to help him think through his actions. It seems we have some work to do!”  
…  
The next few days consisted of Aruru and Shamhat making an absolute mess of the managers’ conference room. Shamhat had pulled the machine out of storage and threw an absolute fit.  
“It’s far too bulky! I would never make anything like this now! Clay!? I did the insulation with clay!? I have to fix it.. it’s awful! The wires are all—”   
She proceeded to pull out various wires and remove dozens of tiny metal panels from the machine, accounting for half of the mess in the room. Aruru claimed the other half.  
She threw herself headlong into programming a neural network capable of tempering Gilgamesh without being too dominant. She spent quite a few nights in front of her screens, puzzling about how to program its mannerisms and behavioral response patterns. Often, she’d sit, red bull in hand, muttering to herself.  
“It has to be like Gil, but with a conscience. No, Gil has a conscience. It has to be intellectually stimulating, but not enough to encourage Gil’s overly explorative nature. Well, Gil can explore that’s fine. I need it to help him make decisions, but not actively influence them. I need it to be Gil, but not Gil?”  
Anu was often out of town on business matters, but having suggested the project in the first place, he was curious about its progress. In his place, he sent his daughter, Ishtar, to observe the progress.   
Ishtar was rather bored with the whole ordeal. She liked Gilgamesh quite a lot and didn’t understand why he needed a companion - or whatever they were calling it – when she was a perfectly eligible and available companion. Each time she went to check on the managers, she told her father the same thing: They’re just working. She’d taken to stacking Aruru’s many, many empty redbull cans into the shape of a bull. She thought it was clever, but Aruru and Shamhat were too engrossed in their own work to notice.  
…  
A few weeks passed and the managers’ project seemed to be nearing completion, but Aruru had gotten stuck on a small detail.  
She sighed as Shamhat worked on putting the final touches on the machine. All that was left was to place the outer metal paneling.  
Aruru sighed louder.  
Shamhat ignored her and began soldering gaps between panels.  
Aruru threw a can at her head.  
She set her tools down and turned to look. “Fine. What is it?”  
“I can’t decide what gender to make it.”  
“Gender?”  
“Yeah, the network will have a gendered interface and I can’t decide on male or female.”  
“Both?” Shamhat offered.  
Aruru shook her head.  
“No, I’ve thought about that.. but it’s neither.”  
Shamhat considered this for a moment. “I mean yeah, it’s a robot so technically it’s an ‘it,’ right?”  
“Hmm. It’s more than that though. It’s kind of an enhanced neural… kinetic… decision unit.”  
Aruru froze.  
“That’s it.”  
She practically flew to her computer and opened up a notepad file.

Enhanced Neural Kinetic Decision Unit  
E.N.Ki.D.U.

“That’s what we’ll call it.”


End file.
